On my first visit to the Atheist Centre in December 1987, I was struck
very forcibly by the emphasis put on women in the work of the Centre. In
virtually all, if not all, countries of the world, women are disadvantaged
in various ways in society, but because the mechanisms of oppression differ,
often, radically, between one society and another, it is not always easy
for a foreigner to perceive clearly just what constitutes the nature of
women's oppression in another society. So I must be slightly hesitant in
my statements, as I am a British woman, and cannot enter into the mind
and perception of an Indian woman.

However, on my second visit in January 1990, my feeling that the Atheist
Centre was doing work comparable to that undertaken by feminists in Britain
was strengthened. Perhaps the greatest concrete successes of the Women's
Liberation Movement in Britain have been the establishment of Rape Crisis
Centres and Women's Aid, which offers refuge and assistance to women who
have suffered physical and mental cruelty at the hands of the men in their
lives, be they husband, boyfriend or father. These were set up entirely
by women's groups, although there is now, in a few areas, some financial
assistance from local and national government. At the Atheist Centre, men
and women have joined together, in the name of atheism, to offer practical
and emotional support to women who have suffered at the hands of men, often
being deserted by their husbands. These women are treated with respect
by all the workers of the Atheist Centre, a situation that I fear often
does not arise in Britain where men engaged in similar work often show
only too clearly their contempt for women's intellectual and practical
capabilities.

Another aspect of the Atheist Centre's excellent work for and with women
is performed through "Samskar" (Reformation). Jogins, women who
are designated, as young girls, as the brides of deities and thereafter
become village prostitutes, unable to marry or escape their lot, have been
helped immeasurably by the work of Samskar and in particular Mrs. Hemalata
Lavanam. The emphasis on helping women to gain confidence in themselves
as human beings who deserve the very best in their lives has parallels
in the consciousness-raising work done within feminist groups in Britain.
Hemalata's deep emotional feelings for the Jogins is something that all
British feminists would strongly identify with and respect.

During the brief time l have spent at the Centre, I have become increasingly
aware of the respect shown by the men who work here to all the women who
work here. All have their own tasks which are carried out to the best of
their abilities, and for which they are valued. To British eyes, the women
seem strong and forceful ... but I am conscious of how easily one can culturally
misinterpret behaviour, so it would not do to be too presumptuous about
this.

It is very heartening to me, an atheist feminist, to see that such work
for the liberation of women can be performed here in India by atheists.
In Britain, no mixed groups of men and women have successfully entered
into this field, and all such groups have been founded and staffed by women
for women. The attitudes of male chauvinism are deeply ingrained in the
male psyche, and British feminists have found few men who are genuinely
working to free themselves of the whole breadth and depth of such attitudes.
Therefore we have chosen to work separately. But here, the example of Mrs
Saraswati Gora who with her husband founded the Atheist Centre in 1940
has clearly made it possible for excellent work to be done. I salute the
strength and power of the women of the Atheist Centre of Vijayawada, congratulate
the community on its Golden Jubilee, and I wish everyone all the best for
the next 50 years. May women's liberation be realised in your country,
in mine, and in the world